Over the past decade, Muslim civil society organizations in Sweden have reported increasing stigmatization and labeling, adversely affecting their operations and the broader Muslim community. This stigmatization is linked to the term “Islamist,” which parliamentary motions, media articles, and reports have depicted as a threat to Swedish democracy and security, prompting calls for stringent actions from political figures.

In a 2017 government consultation on Islamophobia, Muslim organizations noted growing difficulties in obtaining public sector support, attributing these challenges to negative narratives spurred by a controversial feasibility study by the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB). The subsequent MSB project investigated Islamist information influence—defined as illegitimate and potentially harmful communication from a foreign power or its proxy.

Our study examines how the concept of Islamism and the label “Islamist” are defined in this material and whether these constructions contribute to the stereotyping of Muslims. Through a textual thematic analysis, we identified three distinct definitions: religious extremism, Muslim identity, and Islamic activism. This flexible conceptualization allows the label Islamist to be broadly applied, categorizing diverse practicing or politically active Muslims and their allies as members of the same Islamist collective.

Moreover, Islamists are depicted as a latently violent, alienated, monolithic community using manipulative communication strategies and aiming for undemocratic power takeovers—descriptions aligning with stereotypes about Islam and Muslims from classical and contemporary anti-Muslim narratives. The negative connotations and stereotypical content of this label are then imposed on the diverse group labeled as Islamists.

In this way, the term acts as a rhetorical catalyst that has contributed to shaping social and government policies, reducing public space for Muslim organizing, and reinforcing anti-Muslim stereotypes. This ultimately affects social inclusion and violence prevention measures in Sweden.